The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation has awarded Drs. David Karl and Edward DeLong, both UH Mānoa professors in the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST), individual grants totaling $4.2 million to support their marine research. These awards are part of the Moore Foundation’s national Marine Microbiology Initiative that awarded 16 scientists from 14 different institutions a total of up to $35 million over five years to pursue pioneering research in the field of marine microbial ecology.

The funding will enable researchers to explore how the trillions upon trillions of microscopic organisms at the base of the ocean’s food webs interact with each other and their environment. It will help scientists understand how the ocean’s most abundant yet smallest organisms affect the movement of nutrients in our oceans. The funding will also provide new insights—and lead to new and exciting questions—about our basic understanding of ocean ecosystems and pressing issues like climate change.

“These funds will support a team of students, post docs and technicians to continue our ongoing efforts to understand the complex nature of life in the ocean,” said Karl. “Our research will be conducted at sea, where the marine microbes live. We can’t wait to get started!”

The Marine Microbiology Initiative investigators were selected from a strong pool of applicants from around the world through an open competition. Awardees demonstrated creativity, innovation and potential to make major, new breakthroughs.

“We’re very excited and extremely grateful to the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation,” said DeLong. “These awards will allow us to undertake new high risk, high gain research and technology programs, that would be difficult to implement using more traditional funding sources.”

“Together, these scientists will challenge the way we think about our oceans,” added Chief Program Officer Vicki Chandler. “Marine microbes make up over 90% of the biomass in the ocean, and we know they are critically linked to ocean health and productivity. But, even with the advances of the last eight years in understanding who these microbes are, we know little about what they do and how they interact. With these awards, we’re helping support and connect scientists from across different disciplines to identify and fill these gaps in existing knowledge.”

UH Mānoa Chancellor Tom Apple concluded, “These prestigious awards will give our trailblazing scientists the resources to explore new frontiers and make new discoveries that will ultimately benefit us all.”

To learn how you can support the students, programs and research at SOEST, please contact Lori Admiral at lori.admiral@uhfoundation.org or (808) 956-5747.

About the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation - The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation believes in bold ideas that create enduring impact in the areas of science, environmental conservation and patient care. Intel co-founder Gordon and his wife Betty established the foundation to create positive change around the world and at home in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The University of Hawai‘i Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawai‘i System. The mission of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawai‘i’s aspirations by raising philanthropic support and managing private investments to benefit UH, the people of Hawai‘i and our future generations.